@acting dreams - I see that you are chatting about this same thing on the sharing thread - I am going to copy my post there - if you answer, answer there 
@MomofJ5 We will be at the “Day on the Square” on Monday, as well, which is scheduled from 10 - 2:30. The Drama department holds it’s session from 1 - 2, and my daughter is e-mailing NSB to find out if she can get a tour or meet up with any students after the general Drama session.
So I am an observer, I haven’t had a kid go through this and I don’t know if I’ll be grateful for the lack of handholding at NYU or not but let me chime in anyway with my own opinion - and it’s just that folks.
It seemed to me that some of the best schools - I’ll pick on CMU here because no one can argue that it’s not one of the best things running - the students are pretty isolated from the reality of the business. Maybe that isolation is necessary to get the best possible training - again, I do not know. We sat in the CMU audition and the school introduced a couple of their recent graduates who were coming in to volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts. They were very sweet and chatted with the students auditioning. It seemed to me from the things they were saying that fresh out of school they were having the learn the business side of the entertainment business on their own - that their program had trained them beautifully but hadn’t prepared them to hit the ground running when they got out. Now no one (and certainly not me) is going to say CMU is making a mistake with their curriculum! But I listened to what these lovely young actors were saying and thought to myself that maybe it was too ivory tower for me.
NYU appears to be to be almost (not quite) the opposite end of the spectrum. They don’t hand-hold, classes are larger, you will be more anonymous, etc… but the spectrum of what they offer in classes, internships, connections and cohort is very wide-ranging which hopefully allows you to find your niche and start building your brand before graduation. That excites me and I know my kid will take full advantage it.
@bisouu None of those things are what toowonderful was talking about. What you’re paying for is your D to be trained for a profession that she hopes to pursue. That is the primary factor in any of these programs. Tisch has probably more industry professionals coming into the studios than any school in the country. That is something that is definitely not lacking there. That isn’t handholding. No one at Tisch is ‘stumbling around in the dark’ trying to figure out what they need to do. You are misinterpreting what toowonderful said. Tisch provides opportunities for a leg up in the business just like many other schools. And it is not uncommon to find industry professionals at all kinds of Tisch shows, regardless of size or format.
Tisch is not for everyone. None of us who have had kids there have ever said otherwise. Living in the city at 18 can be difficult and not every kid is going to be ready for it at that age. But for those kids who are ready, it can be a wonderful experience and the practical exposure to what it’s like to have to navigate the city everyday is going to be a bonus for those kids when they graduate.
Thank you @alwaysamom for so perfectly putting into words what I have been trying to figure out how to say!
IMO, I was paying my kids’ tuition for them to get an education. Their colleges did not hold their hands. But their colleges prepared them for the world and for their respective career fields. One of my kids attended Brown University. They didn’t assist her in obtaining a summer job or an internship. She applied cold and was very successful every summer in her field. She didn’t have any connections. Same with getting into graduate school and in landing dream jobs when she started her career. Well, same thing with my theateri kid who went to NYU/Tisch. Nobody at college helped her arrange work and so on. I didn’t expect my kids’ colleges to do that. I expected them to prepare them to do this on their own and they did. My theater kid navigated the field by learning by doing. And she was young too. She entered NYU at age 16, having grown up in a town of 1700 people. She navigated the work world just fine in NYC upon graduating at 20, and I think her college prepared her to be ready to do that on her own.
Meahwhile, at NYU/Tisch, my D met all sorts of professionals in the field, and in fact, a few of these were professors themselves who also hired her for paid professional work, even when she was attending college. One professor was a Tony nominated playwright and director and hired my D at age 18 to musically direct a world premiere of hers. She also hired her for summer jobs performing and musical directing jobs that paid well, and for some professional jobs after graduating. Another professor invited her to sing in her original work in Germany. My D only chose to do summer stock one summer, the one after freshmen year. She attended Strawhats (nobody at college explains how to do that, by the way, but they figure it out). However, the theater that hired her for the summer, while they did see her at Strawhats ,the artistic director happened to be visiting my D’s class one day in her studio and saw her and asked her to come for a callback audition at their theater. In other words, these few examples are ones of networking and opportunities that arose being at Tisch (and I’m not even going to start with the opportunities my D’s peers at Tisch have given her and vice versa). And my D did have a showcase when she went to Tisch and did get an agent. Also, her former MT studio, CAP21 also used to stage professional theater works (maybe they still do, not sure) and produced an original show of hers later in her career. Even Tisch produced one of my D’s original works in their MainStage season after my D was a graduate. I forgot about that. None of that was handholding, but opportunities have arisen through my D’s time at Tisch. So, she was educated at NYU, trained well at Tisch, and formed a great network during her time there, and was able to hit the ground running upon graduation.
But both my daughters truly navigated things like employment in summers and after graduation on their own without the help of adults at their colleges. But I didn’t send them there for that. I feel I got what I paid for in their educations and it has served both kids very well so far. My kids had no connections in their fields and I certainly knew very little about their fields. They’ve done it all on their own. But their colleges equipped them to be ready for that.
@toowonderful, you wrote:
This made me smile. I really had no idea my kid was ever going to do this when she graduated. I don’t think she could have predicted it either. She always was someone who liked to create though. But what happened is she trained as a musical theater actor (and is still one today professionally). But in her final year in ETW studio, she wanted to challenge herself by doing what they offer which is called Independent Project and create her first original musical and be in it. She simply considered it a “thesis” project of sorts. She didn’t necessarily intend to write any more musicals after that. But that one musical led to professional productions and workshops, a theater literary agent, offers to compose for Disney and Sesame Street, and to be in shows that she was also asked to musically direct and/or arrange, besides perform in. Then, theaters and producers started commissioning her to write/compose new musicals and while she never predicted she’d write any more musicals after graduating, she certainly was going to if paid to do so, and not on speculation, as well as she can perform in productions she creates. And she decided only later after graduating to also become a singer/songwriter (non-MT genre). So, it is not like she made this a priority when in college, but it just developed. She also was a musical director for her a cappella group in college and for other shows while in college. Things evolved. Who knew she even would switch from CAP21 to ETW studio while at Tisch?
Simply, I think she was encouraged by the opportunities and experiences she was having while in college and explored all sorts of things while there. And people mentored and encouraged her there. This year, I attended a couple of events where my D was given major awards and I listened to her speeches (as aside, she thanked me for the support of her in this field from day one 
). But she also mentions a professor at Tisch who handed her a pen and said, “_____, write your own stuff!” And she has. I’ve heard her speak about how the older established artists in her field nurture and encourage the young ones coming up. This has been invaluable. I can think of famous people in the industry she has come to know in her work who mentor her now, and with whom she consults as to the next move she may make in her career, or if she should take or turn down a project, etc.
Also, I don’t think it is essential by ANY means to attend college in or near NYC. But now that I have observed a kid who has done so, I have to say that her network of collaborators, mentors, peers, supporters, etc. is vast and began before she graduated Tisch. And in relation to my previous post, this is quite different than hand holding by her school, but rather her school afforded her a place where her network grew by leaps and bounds. My D has even given Ted Talks about the essential need to be part of a community who nurture one another and collaborate. Anyway I got off topic, but just saying that I don’t know that my D could have predicted the various paths her career has taken back when she was a young one at Tisch. It has evolved over time.
@soozievt What you wrote is exactly the experience my D hopes to have at Tisch - valuable education and training in her field while also being open to new things. I think that one of the problems my D had with conservatory-style programs was the feeling that, as an artist, she needs to be more than just a MT major, and Tisch will give her those opportunities.
Also, I wanted thank you, @bisouu, @toowonderful and so many others publicly as I’ve been lurking on CC for a couple years and all your posts have consistently helped us navigate this crazy process!
@dramamamaCC - glad to be helpful. CC was my lifeline during my D’s year - I’ve been trying to pay it forward ever since
@bisouu I think you misrepresent Tisch, I agree with @toowonderful, @soozievt, and @jbtcat. My d’s studio at Tisch did soooo much to help my d. Her professors noticed that she was interested in more than just acting and THEY suggested and created a unique path for her. They got her an amazing internship for the year and that got her one of her dream ones for the summer. She hasn’t even graduated yet! Tisch wants their students to be successful and does everything they can to help them. Tisch doesn’t need to have one “showcase” because agents and casting directors, as well as others in the business, are regularly seeing their performances and workshops. Professionals are constantly talking to them, giving advice, and are quite kind to them. The classes are small with lots of individualized attention, the professors know their students well, and watching the students grow as actors and artists is a wonderful experience for the parents.
Day in the Square report:
Tisch person spoke about how the goal is to assign students to studios to match their natural assets and build those up rather than to tear them down. And she also spoke about the sacredness of the arts in civilization.
Earlier in the day, a dual degree student spoke about Tisch/Stern BFA/MA degree she is getting so she can run her own studio. And the Tisch cross-discipline collaboration was emphasized as well. It is realistic for D to minor in film and/or take screenwriting courses.
Thereafter, my D spoke at length with a member of Atlantic School staff today and I wished I had taped the conversation! Atlantic has a lifelong relationship with its students. The Alumni network is strong and returns often for events and collaboration. The curriculum includes film/web/devised works and theatrical productions. There are showcases for agents and managers. Atlantic is very heavy in text analysis so I think it would be a great foundation for a writer to have.
We toured a few dorms too – which honestly looked really nice. I like Rubin – great big windows with stunning views.
It seems that little pockets of communities form within the big expanse of NYU. And I get it, it seems daunting till you find your spot. I think she’d thrive there and she needs nurturing more than tough love.
These reports sound great. Thanks everyone. I have another question. I know the kids get close with the 15 kids in their studio classes. Are there first year dorm activities, etc that help the kids to form relationships with dorm-mates. We have a friend (current freshman) who is finding it lonely being at NYU (I don’t want to say which studio). She wasn’t shy in high school, but it still could be something about her that wouldn’t be true for others. I was just wondering if there are other transition-type activities at the school. Thanks!!!
There were dorm activities my D’s 1st year. I think it depends on the dorm. All freshman halls seem to do more. Those that are a mix of classes seemed to have less. My D was fortunate that there were a number of studio mates in her dorm, and they hung together
@momofJ5 my D lived in Third North and had a ton of activities for freshmen. She also became close with her roommate who was not in Tisch and made some friends with her. There are tons of clubs to join where people develop great friendships. My D joined a sorority her Freshman year and that really helped her develop a close group of friends right away and gave her a little more of that traditional college experience.
@123Mimi I’m so glad your D enjoyed her day!
My daughter is in 3N (Third North) in a suite with 10 girls (1 other in Tisch but not Drama) so there have been opportunities for new friends there but there are also so many dorm activities ALL the time. The floors do special nights with activities, and there are overall dorm activities all the time. Plus, there are so many clubs that my daughter is frustrated that she doesn’t have time for them. Additionally, during Welcome Week at the beginning of the year, most of the activities are not studio specific, so that’s a great way to make friends that are not in your studio. You meet lots of other kids from your dorm, from the bigger Tisch environment and from NYU as a whole. Also, my D is in a studio with 50 kids and she doesn’t have the same 15 in each of her classes, she has different kids in acting than she does in ballet, than she does in vocal performance and then her academic classes are, of course, different kids completely. (she is in NSB by the way). My D also has a part time job at NYU that she got this spring (another place she’s met people). And there are girls in her studio who did join sororities as well and found a community that way. So the opportunities seem endless. However, I do think the first year at college for many kids can be really difficult and it can take a while to find your people, especially in the larger community. There was a great video last year that a student at Cornell made about this. If you Google I bet you can find it.
@MomofJ5 My younger D attended NYU as a studio art major. But she had always been very involved in MT and considered majoring in it when she was younger. Because theatre was so much a part of her life and identity, she decided to join an Explorations floor at Third North when she was a freshman. Explorations is a special interest program that groups like minded students together on designsted floors in dorms and offers special programming and events. She was part of the 3N Theatre Arts company. There are groups for comedy, film, geeks, etc. Here’s the link:
https://www.nyu.edu/students/student-information-and-resources/housing-and-dining/on-campus-living/the-on-campus-experience/special-interest-housing.html
In reality, my D and her friends did participate in some theatre like activities, but for her it was more an opportunity to dorm with people from different backgrounds interested in the arts. My D graduated almost 2 years ago , but is still best friends with some of the students she met through that program freshman year. There were some Tisch theatre students, many Tisch film students and a smattering of students from just about every NYU school who became a strong community. One bf is now an animator, one works in film production, one is a photographer and one works in some FBI investigative capacity. Through these friendships, my D was cast in many student films throughout college and also helped on set doing props and special effects make up. She eventuly became part of very close knit community through the art department, but her friendships outside of studio art added to the overall experience she had at NYU.
Has anyone heard of any NYU Tisch WL movement?
@theaterlove3 - there is another thread on NYU waitlists: check out-
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/2073794/nyu-tisch-waitlist-2018/p4
So, we ended up NOT going down to NYU for Day on the Square last Monday. My daughter was in a show that closed on Saturday with a double-show day, with strike going until 1 am. When I woke her up late Sunday morning, she asked if we HAD to go, and to be honest I wasn’t looking forward to the 5-6 hour drive down through Sunday CT traffic and driving back home on Monday night so she wouldn’t miss additional days of school.
As we were talking about it, I realized she was making a lot of sense - we’d already done the campus tour last spring, she’d been in the Tisch building for auditions and seen some of the NSB facilities, and we’d already researched all the housing options and put down her deposit. In addition, last week was April break and she was worried about missing more school since she currently has - GASP! - a “B” in astronomy class and a huge test this Friday. (She has had straight A’s through high school so this is bugging her, because school policy is that if you have an A for your final grade at the end of the year, you don’t have to take the final exam, and she’s never had to take one and I guess it’s just a point of pride at this point.)
The next 4 weeks are weird - filled with all sorts of activities and concerts and prom and Junior Classics League state conference… and the list goes on, so I’m glad we stayed home, and we’ll be spending plenty of time there over the next 4 years!